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Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Bob Geldof found some time in his busy schedule to fly to Asutralia and deliver a speech about world poverty at the eighth annual Diversity@Work business awards at Crown Palladium in Melbourne.

It's unquestionably inspiring to raise the issue of those who have so little, and only slightly undermined by reports in the Herald Sun that Geldof took an AUS$100,000 fee.

It's possible, of course, that Geldof took the money and passed it on those in poverty without making a song and dance about it. What's curious, though, is that Tim Costello of World Vision, who shared the platform, says that he didn't get a fee. All rather odd.

Of course I don't think any of us are shocked by this sort of thing from Geldof any more but you do have to wonder why people continually get him to speak at their "let's all make ourselves feel better by suggesting that we help the little people" business events. Is a multi-millionaire businessman (I think musician would be stretching it), whose attempts at philanthropy stretch only as far as getting other people to help, ever really the best person for the job of world poverty spokesperson? Oh wait... now I understand why they keep getting him.